Learning To Love
by Kirei Nikko
Summary: "See Itachi? You could totally get a girlfriend, you just have to put in the effort." "I swear I'm never driving you anywhere ever again." In which Itachi has never had a girlfriend before and Kisame is determined to change that. ItaSaku Modern AU. Filled with a bubbly Sakura, a meddling Kisame and a relationship-awkward Itachi.
1. Of Car Rides and Brief Meetings

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me (obviously) but this plot came from my own brain.

* * *

"Wow I still can't believe you said no to that girl from last night. From the way things are going right now, you're never gonna get a girlfriend."

Itachi sighed as his dear old friend Kisame continued to tease him.

"Seriously Itachi, if you don't start picking up your dating game, then you're gonna die a virgin. I still can't believe you've never had a girlfriend!" Kisame continued to laugh at his poor friend's expense.

"Shut up Kisame before I push you out of the car." Itachi said irritably.

This conversation wouldn't have been happening if it weren't for that stupid party that Itachi was forced to go to. Not only did he hate parties, he also could not socialise for the life of him. It's not as though he could not interact with others, mind you, but when he was forced to interact, with strangers no less, he was always polite and cordial, or in other words, stiff. Although there were a few exceptions, Itachi rarely opened up to others, always keeping his guard up. And for whatever reason, females always seemed to put him on edge, making him uncomfortable whenever they got too close.

So when one innocent (though not really) girl approached his spot in the corner, attempting to invite him to dance, he panicked. Without looking the part, of course. Uchihas never looked panicked. Before the words even formed in her mouth, he was off. Swiftly exiting the noisy room with far too many people in it, he ran into Kisame, who had witnessed the little exchange and pestered him for answers. And of course, once Itachi revealed to him that he had never had an intimate relationship with a girl before, Kisame exploded with laughter. Which brings us to the current situation.

Rolling down the car window and placing his arm over the window sill, Kisame continued, "I mean, I know that you obviously aren't as good-looking as me…" Itachi rolled his eyes but Kisame ignored this, "But you know, you might actually have a chance with girls if you didn't have the flirting skills of a pillar. Heck, even a pillar could get more action than you."

"And who said I wanted to have a chance with girls?" Itachi replied, his irritation building up.

"Oh wow Itachi, I never knew you batted for the other team." Kisame joked, which promptly earned him a hard hit to the head from his raven-haired friend.

Placing his hand back on the wheel, Itachi sighed. Kisame was never gonna let this go.

"But back to business, I bet you could find a girl if you'd only stopped being such a Serious Stu and became a Happy Harry! Although, you probably need to fix your hair, face and clothes too." Kisame joked while Itachi kept his attention on the road. He undoubtedly knew that his Uchiha friend was a sight for sore eyes, but he wasn't going to admit that to him.

Although Kisame enjoyed teasing his ever silent friend, he genuinely did want to help him find someone. Someone that would be able to give his friend the kind of comfort and relationship that Kisame could not give.

Reaching a stoplight, their car was stopped directly to the left of another car that was occupied by a young female with, pink hair?

Her window was rolled down and her fingers were tapping the steering wheel to the beat of the song that was softly playing on her radio. As Kisame continued to observe her, he noticed that she had fair skin and her hair was tied up in a ponytail, with some strands framing her face. Grinning mischievously at an idea that popped into his head, he called out to her.

"Excuse me miss." Surprised, she whipped her head to face him. Kisame noticed that she had large bright jade eyes and was quite pleasing to look at. Seeing his smile, the girl allowed herself to smile back, although looking quite confused.

Laughing inwardly, Kisame continued, "I was just hoping I could ask you a question." By now, Kisame had caught Itachi's attention, who was looking at them through the corner of his eye, although he could not see the girl because Kisame's large build was obstructing his view.  
The young lady did nothing but nod slowly, still looking confused.

At her silent prompt, Kisame went on, "Do you think that my friend here is dateable?" At this, he leaned back for her to see said friend. Itachi, however, abruptly turned his head in Kisame's direction, who had moved out of the way, and found himself staring bewilderedly into beautiful jade eyes. His eyes took in her features, noticing the way her eyes twinkled and he brow furrowed in amusement, the way the strands of her silky pink hair framed her heart-shaped face, and the way her pink lips were upturned into a small smile.

The girl in question, however, only raised one eyebrow and tilted her head slightly in questioning. She was still very much so confused.

Kisame elaborated, "Do you, a pretty young lady, think that this male right here, is dateable?" He gestured to Itachi this time, who was still trying to make sense of the situation.

The pink-haired beauty observed the said male's features, taking in his appearance. He had long jet-black hair that half-spilled over his shoulder, tied in a low ponytail. She noticed the way he appeared calm, but if one looked closely enough, you could see the perplexity in his features. He seemed to be lean and fit, with his face angled sharply. But what stood out most to her, however, was his dark onyx eyes that seemed to draw her in. She contemplated for a while, before deciding to humour them and answer.

"Yeah, I say he's dateable, he's pretty cute." At this, said male looked even more dumbfounded than before, eliciting a soft laugh from the female.

Kisame only grinned at this, "Would you, again a very pretty lady, ever go out with a guy like him?"

Itachi looked just about ready to smack Kisame, which he was about to do, when a small laugh erupted from the green-eyed girl. Both males looked at her in question. Eyes crinkled in amusement and lips showcasing a brilliant smile, the girl graced them with an honest answer, concluding that this would be the last time they see each other.

"Yeah, I actually would."

Both were surprised at her declaration, one more so than the other. Her eyes found Itachi's and with one last smile, winked at him, to which he promptly coughed into his hand and looked away.

The light signalled green for those turning right, and that was the girl's cue to leave. With a wave, she spoke one last time, "It was nice meeting you guys, kinda… I think." Laughing to herself, she drove off.

Still at the stoplight, the two males looked at each other. Before Itachi glared at the other, who was laughing heartily. "See Itachi? You could totally get a girlfriend, you just have to put in the effort."

"I swear I'm never driving you anywhere ever again."

* * *

 **A/N**

So, this is my first fanfic that I'm publishing and I'm totally up for some rad reviews or constructive criticism. :)

Short chapter, but hopefully the next one will be longer.

Anyways, Thanks for reading!


	2. Of Parties and Cafe Stake Outs

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine (obviously) but yeah, this plot is all mine.

* * *

Itachi was seriously starting to wonder how Kisame even became his friend.

"Hey Itachi! Have you met Hanako-chan? Or how bout Risa-chan? Or maybe you would prefer Reika-chan?"

Currently, Itachi had been dragged off to yet another stupid party, however this time, it was a party held for Konoha University students. So unlike last time, he did know these people, albeit not familiarly.

And of course, Kisame took this as an opportunity to go girl spotting for Itachi, thinking that it was his duty as a best friend, or something like that.

Some best friend he was.

"Ahh Itachi, I think you'll like Natsuki-chan the most!"

Yep, Itachi was seriously reconsidering this whole friendship thing.

Itachi stuck to the corners, in his usual party routine, occasionally saying hello to those whom he recognised and had greeted him. Not being one who usually eats at this sort of party, nor drinks anything for that matter, Itachi was left feeling famished. He knew he shouldn't have skipped lunch. Damn Kisame and his party-going tendencies.

Quickly looking for possible escape routes, Itachi's eyes scanned the room. Instantly deducing that the only way out was through the front door, Itachi made a break for it. Making sure that Kisame did not see him, Itachi swiftly exited the overcrowded house and walked (more like ran) away from the rowdy party and into the direction of his car.

A part of him felt bad for leaving Kisame, but then the rational side of him argued that it had to be done, or else Kisame would've introduced every single girl _in the vicinity_ to him, and Itachi knew very well that if anyone could accomplish that, it would be Kisame.

Slightly shuddering at the thought, Itachi walked just a little bit faster.

* * *

"Thanks for waiting for me, _pal_." Kisame grumbled while plopping down on Itachi's couch in his apartment.

"I was not aware that I had to wait for you. Besides, I thought we had established that I would no longer be driving you anywhere." With one brow lifted, Itachi feigned innocence whilst drinking from his coffee mug to hide his small smile.

Kisame just grumbled some more. "Are you seriously still on that? That was so long ago…" to which Itachi replied that it was a week ago, "Yeah whatever. But the point is, I only did that to prove to you that you have the potential of getting a girlfriend. And now you just gotta take that potential and turn it into an opportunity, you know?"

Itachi stared at Kisame in silence.

"Did you consume too much alcohol last night Kisame? I think you better lie down."

"Goddammit Itachi! I am not drunk! Well, I was… But not right now I'm not!"

Itachi didn't look entirely convinced.

"Anyway, regardless of whether I'm intoxicated or not, we are going to find you a girlfriend. Whether you like it or not." Kisame said in finality.

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"Nope. Now come on, get dressed. We're gonna go out and about, do some scoping and maybe meet some potential future girlfriends." Kisame informed Itachi whilst nudging him with his elbow.

Itachi, however, did not budge. He was adamant in staying in today to get some studying done, he didn't have time to be frolicking around with his blue-haired friend. Why did he give a spare key to Kisame again? He'll never know.

"Itachi, if you don't get dressed right now, I could always just give girls your address and they can find you themselves, would you rather that?"

Itachi had never gotten dressed so fast in his life.

* * *

"How bout that one? She looks nice."

Currently, the two males were inside a quaint little café just a few streets away from Itachi's place. Upon entering said café, Kisame took immediate action, flew into a booth and held his menu just below his eyes.

Itachi let out a small sigh. Kisame had the same amount of subtlety as fire crackers did.

Once Itachi sat down, Kisame launched himself into checking over all potential female companions within the café.

"Well, what about that one? Didn't you say you liked dark-haired girls?"

Itachi could do nothing but rest his head onto his palm. If Itachi wasn't who he was, he would've been in tears by now. But of course, Uchihas never shed tears over something as fickle as this current predicament, which left Itachi with having to painfully endure his friend's persistence.

"Kisame, I hope you aren't likening these woman to objects, because honestly right now, you sound as if you were browsing through a store catalogue."

His comment went by unheard.

While Kisame continued to 'scope' out the place, Itachi thought that now might be the time to actually order a drink, seeing as though they have been sitting in the café for 20 minutes now.

Absentmindedly motioning for the waitress to come to their table, Itachi flicked through the menu. Once the waitress reached their table, he simply ordered a cappuccino. As Kisame looked too busy to notice the waitress, Itachi waved her off.

"Okay Itachi, How about that girl over there? In the corner." Pointing towards a corner of the café, Kisame asked Itachi the same damn question for the umpteenth time.

Itachi decided to humour him and turned towards the direction that Kisame was pointing at. There, a couple of tables away, sat a young woman probably around their age, who was reading a rather thick book whilst taking a sip from her coffee cup. Her back was slightly turned towards them but Itachi could faintly see that she wore glasses. Itachi was not able to distinguish her hair colour however, as she currently had a gray beanie adorning her head, matching with her gray oversized sweater and black leggings. As far as Itachi could see, she looked like a normal café-goer and bookworm.

Perhaps the reason Kisame had pointed her out was that Itachi too, was an avid fan of books. Based on her posture, she seemed quite relaxed and comfortable, which meant that she was reading that monster of a book for recreational purposes. Either that, or she was just skimming through the book thoughtlessly. Itachi hoped it was the former, for he had not ascertained such a love of books from any of the other girls that Kisame had pointed out.

Whilst Itachi continued his observation, Kisame spoke, "So? Do you like this one? Wanna put the moves on her? I could totally teach you some pick-up lines, you know."

"For example," Kisame cleared his throat to get Itachi's attention, "'I'm not a photographer, but I can picture you and I together!' or how about, 'Are you a magician? Because whenever I look at you, everyone else disappears!' "

...Itachi just looked at Kisame in deadpan...

He then returned to observing the girl, only to find that she was no longer there. Slightly perturbed, Itachi brought his attention back to Kisame, "I think your pick-up lines made her disappear instead." Kisame just glared at Itachi, muttering something about his pick-up lines being a work of art.

Suddenly, a voice flittered through the air, "I found them quite amusing to be honest, although, if you're gonna spy on someone in the future, make sure you lower your voices." The girl from before passed by them, not even sparing them a glance, as she continued on to the exit.

Moments passed before both males recovered from their daze, with the waitress looking at them in confusion as she came back with Itachi's drink. Kisame was the first to break the silence, "Well, I totally thought that we were the epitome of subtle." To which Itachi responded with a 'Hn'.

As Kisame went back to… _whatever_ he was doing, Itachi could not help but contemplate that the girl's voice sounded eerily familiar. Surely he did not know anyone of her build, so where had he heard her voice? And to confuse him even more - his eyes must be playing tricks on him, because the chances were far below the realm of unlikeliness - but he swears that he saw a flash of pink as she walked past.

* * *

 **A/N**

Hey guys! So here's chapter 2, and I'm super duper sorry that it's short. I was planning on doing a double update with chapter 2 and 3 but that means that I actually have to finish chapter 3 first. OTL  
So instead, I'll just post this chapter so that people aren't kept waiting, ya feel?

 **On the characterisation of Itachi, Kisame and Sakura**

So, my plans for this fic.  
 **With Kisame,** he actually wasn't supposed to play a significant part of the story when I first thought of the plot. But as I continued writing his character and how he interacted with Itachi, I just had to include him. I'm looking forward to being able to flesh out his character in later chapters. :D  
 **With Itachi,** Some people might think that its incredibly OOC for Itachi to ever be relationship-awkward or socially inept because _Itachi is just so freaking amazing at everything._ Be that as it may, I think people often forget that Itachi lives at a distance, preferring to observe people from afar in order to better understand their characters in an unbiased perspective, which is totally fine, but it does prevent him from being close to people. SO, what I wanted to convey was that; Yes, Itachi can converse with people, but he _prefers_ not to. Because he'd rather observe than actually speak to others. He's silent and insightful. Which is why I think the relationship between Kisame and Itachi is such a great thing to write because Kisame is a hands-on kind of guy whilst Itachi prefers the background. They sort of have a wacky friendship but they make it work. So yeah, basically what I'm saying is that, since Itachi doesn't really speak to others that often, he probably shouldn't be a suave guy that makes ladies' panties drop, ya know? Considering that he isn't that close to anyone intimately, I can't imagine him actually being capable of flirting and being all confident in that area of communication xD  
Oh and btw, when I say things like Itachi is blushing; I don't mean it as Tamaki Blush from OHSHC, I just mean a subtle one. And like he still looks calm and shiz but if you looked closely enough then you can see he's uncomfortable cause he's never encountered that particular situation before. Which I think is so cute!  
 **With Sakura,** I PROMISE SHE'LL BE FORMALLY INTRODUCED SOON SORRY. But I gotta set the scenes, ya? So in this fic, I plan for Sakura to be the experienced one out of the two. Because tbh, she is a lovely girl who is outgoing. And I'm always kinda miffed every time I read an ItaSaku fic and Sakura is all shy and intimidated and dominated by Itachi. Cause I mean honestly, out of the two, who is more likely to have experience? Of course it would be Sakura. Also, I view Sakura as headstrong, confident woman, so that is how I will write her. And as it says in the summary, She is quite bubbly and outgoing :)

 **TL;DR** Kisame is cool, Itachi is quiet and dorky, and Sakura will fully appear soon!

Okay so, This chapter is hella short and I'm sooooo sorry, but it was essential to the story because it's an establishing chapter, where a bit of Kisame and Itachi's friendship is shown and also how far Kisame is willing to go to help Itachi with his _problem._

I literally came up with this fic idea during school yesterday, and when I got home I wrote the first chapter and published it. I'm actually quite surprised at how many people actually read the first chapter, like asdfghjkl I AM SO HAPPY *^* This _is_ my first legit fic so the amount of people that are reading this is just overwhelming for me and I JUST LOVE ALL OF YOU! This chapter was such a pain in the butt though, because I literally have so many ideas flowing through my head BUT ITS IDEAS FOR ITASAKU FLUFF ASDFGHJKL. I just want to get to that part tbh, but I gotta set the story and shiz. OTL  
I'll try updating again soon, especially since it's the weekend but yeah. Maybe expect an update between tomorrow and next week :)

ANYWAYS, WOW THAT WAS LONG. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR READING! Feel free to leave a review~


	3. Of More Parties and Proper Introductions

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine, but the plot is.

* * *

It was a sunny, Monday morning as Itachi walked along the footpath, passing various stores and apartment buildings along the way. He was headed towards Konoha University, or KU for short. Normally, he would simply just drive there but today, he felt that he should walk – it wasn't too far a walk – and smell the roses, or so they say.

Politely greeting the owners of the stores he passed, Itachi continued his journey. It wasn't until a spot of pink entered his peripheral vision, that he stopped his trek. Turning his head towards the direction in which he saw the colour, there was nothing but flowers displayed – Of course, it _was_ a flower shop that he had stopped in front of – and Itachi was left feeling a little muddled.

Lately he had been seeing the colour pink everywhere he went; in cafés, in libraries, in book stores, and even at the grocers. He did understand that it was indeed a commonly used colour for many things, but never had it been more pronounced to him as it were now. He simply couldn't understand. Why was he suddenly more aware of the colour pink?

As Itachi mulled over his thoughts and continued toward the university, he completely missed a petite, young woman walking out of the flower shop.

* * *

"So this punk was all like, 'That's my seat.' And I was all like, 'Excuse me.' And stood up while making sure to flex my muscles and, I shit you not, he was so scared that he looked like he peed his pants! You should've seen it, it was great." Kisame laughed heartily as he recounted the events prior.

The two were currently seated at one of the tables in the library of KU, with Itachi reading a textbook and Kisame sitting on a chair backwards. "Every time you use the phrase, 'I shit you not' it is most likely an exaggeration." Itachi flipped a page of his book.

"Pfft, you weren't there so you wouldn't know." Kisame huffed. "Anyway, after the lectures today, wanna go have a café stake out again?"

Itachi paused.

"You did not just say café stake out."

"I totally did. Pretty clever, isn't it?" Kisame smiled proudly, while Itachi just shook his head, sighing. "Unlike you, I actually have studying to do." Itachi replied to Kisame's earlier question.

"Well, that's what you get for choosing to study Law, which I could never understand. Like why would anyone willingly sign up for hours of studying a boring subject?" Kisame said with a shudder, "Everyone should just do what I'm doing."

"Not everybody wants to have a Bachelor in Health, Sport and Physical Education, Kisame." Came the bored reply from Itachi. "Besides, you specialise in water-based courses. What if people can't swim?"

"Can't swim?! That means they'll never know the feeling of water gliding over their skin! How horrible!" Itachi just rolled his eyes as Kisame went into an in-depth explanation of why water was equivalent to life. Good thing Itachi was proficient in tuning people out.

Once Kisame had calmed down significantly, he continued, "Back to the situation at hand, we need to get back out there and find someone suitable for you. We don't have much time, Itachi! Before you know it, you'll be living alone with a bunch of cats that Nekobaa gave you out of pity."

"I highly doubt that Nekobaa would willingly give me her cats."

"That's not the point, Itachi. The point is if you don't start putting in the effort, then you're gonna grow old – and trust me Itachi you aren't getting any younger – and nobody will want to be with you then." To which Itachi replied that he was only 21, but his comment went by unheard, "I mean, I'm totally up for you to live with me but I'm not sure how the missus would react to that." Kisame proceeded to mutter things about whether he would even have room for Itachi.

Slightly irked, Itachi reassured him, "Don't worry, Kisame. I have no plans in living with you in the future." Itachi then opened up a notebook and started taking notes from the textbook.

Kisame sighed in relief, "Okay good, cause thinking about it was giving me a headache," Getting back on topic yet again, Kisame began, "Anyways, Come on! Let's get out of here to find your Miss Right!"

"I doubt you'll be able to find a 'Miss Right'." Came Itachi's distracted response. Of course, Kisame paid him no mind.

"Hey, that pink-haired girl was pretty cool. How bout her?" Itachi looked up from writing his notes and stared at Kisame. "You do realise that we met her _once_ and not to mention that it was at a stoplight. We don't even know her name."

"Ahah! You didn't refuse her! That means you're interested in her!" Kisame remained oblivious to Itachi's protests as he continued, "I knew it. I could feel the chemistry between the two of you. The sexual tension was suffocating!"

By now, Kisame had raised his voice and everyone near the two looked towards them with eyebrows raised. Itachi felt a headache forming as he rubbed his temples, he then proceeded to smack Kisame on the head for being too loud, before returning to his note-taking.

Trying to soothe the spot where Itachi just hit him, Kisame continued, "It doesn't matter that we don't know her name, I will find her. Somehow, someway." There was no way he was gonna pass up the opportunity of finding a girl that Itachi was remotely interested in.

"The chances of you finding her are close to zero."

"Wow you have so little faith in me. I'm wounded," Kisame feigned hurt, holding a hand against his chest, "I bet you $10 that I can find her in a week." Itachi just waved Kisame off with a 'Yeah, sure you will.'

Taking his prompt, Kisame sprinted out of the library and raced off to who knows where. Not that Itachi cared, he was finally left alone in peace.

* * *

"Quick Itachi, get dressed!" Kisame suddenly barged into Itachi's apartment. Itachi, who was washing some dishes, just looked at Kisame in confusion. He had not seen the blue-haired male all week. Well, He occasionally saw him walking around the campus, but he always seemed to be in a hurry.

"No." came Itachi's reply.

"Wow. That's how you greet your best friend that you haven't seen in ages?" Kisame tsked at him, "Well, I know that you missed me on the inside. Anyways, you need to get dressed now. We're going to a party. No questions asked."

Itachi shut off the tap, wiped his hands on a hand towel, and turned around to face the blue-haired menace. Itachi folded his arms as he stared down Kisame, who was glaring back. After what seemed to be 5 minutes, Kisame broke the silence.

"Goddammit Itachi, this isn't the time to have staring competitions. You need to get dressed, _now_." Kisame threw his arms out in exasperation, "We need to leave. It's a life and death situation." This caught Itachi's attention. At his silent question, Kisame elaborated, "Ah well…no one is really dying…" aaand that lost Itachi's attention.

"Wait! Hear me out. We gotta go to a party." Itachi glared at the mention of the word 'party', "Listen to me. It's absolutely crucial that we go to this party, okay? I know that you don't like them but this one is important. I promise never to force you to go to any parties after this."

Itachi's resolve was swaying. To never have to attend another horrid party ever again was somewhat a distant dream for Itachi – especially with Kisame as a friend – but his dream was about to come true, the chance to never go to a party was in the palm of his hands, at the expense of attending one last social gathering.

Seeing Itachi contemplate on his offer, Kisame continued, "Look Itachi, I know that you're annoyed and tired of my attempts at getting you a love life, I get that, but I'm only doing this because I care about you, man. I just want to see you happy, you know? I promise to do everything within my power to make sure that happens. Now hurry and get dressed, before manly tears start to spill."

Thus, marks the first time Itachi went to a party without complaints.

* * *

Itachi's eye twitched. ' _Calm down, Itachi. This is the last time you'll ever have go to a party so persevere!'_ The voice in Itachi's head did nothing to calm him down.

Kisame had taken him to a party that was bigger – and louder – than any of the previous ones. Itachi wasn't sure if he could survive this. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Kisame was off, doing god knows what, essentially leaving Itachi alone. In an unfamiliar house. With a lot of strangers. And not just normal strangers, _incredibly drunk university students._

 _ **Crash**_. There goes the coffee table.

Itachi sighed. Maybe he shouldn't have come. He had yet to see the importance of this party, especially since Kisame wasn't present to explain. Maybe he could escape while he had the chance, surely Kisame wouldn't be able to notice he was gone, considering the sheer magnitude of people that were here.

Calmly – but not really – making his way toward the exit, he heard someone call out to him. "Itachi! Hey Itachi! Hey Ita- Don't touch me, man. That's gross. Itachi!" Turning around, Itachi saw Kisame making his way towards him through the crowded living room. Once he was within hearing distance, Itachi spoke, "So you have finally decided to make an appearance." He said dryly. He did not appreciate being left alone at parties.

Kisame rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Yeah, sorry bout that. I didn't mean to be gone for too long, I had to go find someone." At this, Itachi raised eyebrow, Kisame took that as a cue to reveal the person he had been desperately searching for in the past week.

Kisame took a step to the side, and behind him revealed a petite young woman wearing a small smile. Dressed in a simple white sundress that stopped at her knees, with a pink sash adorning the area under her chest, tied at the back, she truly envisioned 'simple but elegant'. And of course the most important thing to note;

Her pink hair and jade eyes.

Itachi stared at the female in front of him calmly, but really on the inside, he was quite incredulous. How did Kisame manage to find her? Kisame cleared his throat and brought Itachi out of his reverie.

"Well, I think I'll just leave you two kids alone for the time being," Kisame began, however, Itachi interrupted him, "Kisame, may I please speak to you in private for a moment." Without waiting for his reply, Itachi dragged Kisame off. But not before turning towards the girl and saying, "One moment, miss." With a small bow of his head, he continued to drag his friend. The girl blinked in confusion, but nonetheless stayed put and waited for the two men.

Once they were a safe distance away from the girl, Itachi spoke, "Explain." Needing no further prompting, Kisame spoke, "What is there to explain? I told you that I would find her and I did. Oh, you owe me $10 by the way." Looking quite pleased with himself, Kisame grinned at Itachi, showcasing his shark-like teeth.

If there weren't so many witnesses present, Itachi would've throttled the smug bastard.

"Well? Why are you still standing here? Go over there and woo her." Kisame started to pull Itachi back towards the girl, despite Itachi's protests. Once they returned to the girl, Kisame whispered in Itachi's ear, "Oh and by the way, she was the girl at the café. You know, the one that you were totally checking out. Have fun!" With those words, Kisame bid them adieu.

Itachi stood still. He was still trying to make sense of the situation. In front of him was a rather pretty female – who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow – which his _best friend_ tried to set him up with. Not to mention they were still in the middle of a raging party. Definitely not an ideal situation for poor Itachi.

Somehow sensing his discomfort, the girl smiled up at him, "Want to join me outside for a walk?" Itachi, willing to do anything to get away from this party, only nodded at her offer.

Once they were outside, they strolled down the front lawn and onto the footpath that led to the street. Walking side by side, the two remained silent. Itachi looked at her through his peripheral vision, she was gazing up at the stars with a brilliant smile on her face. She seemed content with staying silent, and Itachi was completely fine with that.

After a few minutes, however, her voice broke the quiet, "Do you always say yes when strangers ask you to walk with them?" She asked with amusement, without looking at him.

Itachi glanced at her, and redirected the question back at her, "Do you always ask strangers to walk with you?" Her laugh rang through his ears. "Touché." She replied, finally glancing at him. They walked a few more meters until they reached a park. Itachi looked at the park curiously, and turned to his female companion. Her eyes were shining with delight and she looked at him, asking him a silent question.

After a moment of contemplation, he decided to go against his brain and nodded. Smiling widely, she continued towards the middle of the park where there lay a small playground, quickly taking a seat on the swing, laughing all the while. Itachi silently followed – choosing to lean against the swing structure, with his arms crossed over his chest – and was content to quietly observe her. After a moment, Itachi discerned that it was the right moment to start asking questions.

But she beat him to it, "So, you're probably wondering what on earth is happening. Heck, I would be too if I were in your shoes. I think it's best to start from the start."

* * *

The jade-eyed beauty was patiently seated at a café within the campus of KU, waiting for her coffee, when suddenly a tall, dark blue-haired male pulled up a chair and sat down at her table.

"Umm can I help you?" Sakura asked warily.

"Yes, yes you can. Do you remember me?" He grinned widely at her.

The girl took a moment to rack her brain, trying to figure out where she had seen him before. Surely, he seemed familiar - his smile was rather unique - but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Ah! You're that shark guy!" She suddenly said as a light bulb went off in her head. At his confused look, she laughed and elaborated, "I remember you because it was probably the most unusual way I've ever met someone. I mean, being asked whether their friend is dateable out of the blue is unusual in itself, but being asked that at a stoplight, now that's just a whole other level of weird." She continued to laugh while remembering the whole incident.

"But wait, what does that have to do with me being a shark?" Kisame questioned, still confused.  
"Oh, I just remember that I thought you kinda looked like a shark when I first met you. Cause your hair is sort of like a fin and your teeth are sharp, not to mention you have beady eyes-" The girl abruptly stopped her description, suddenly embarrassed that she was comparing a stranger to a shark.

Kisame just looked amused. Laughing wholeheartedly, he reassured her, "Don't worry, I happen to like sharks." At this, she laughed along with him.

"So what can I do for you, Shark-san?" she inquired, when their conversation hit a lull. Quietly chuckling at being called 'Shark-san', Kisame answered, "Okay so, you remember my friend, right?" She nodded, "Yeah well, I'm sort of trying to help him out. He's far too stiff and distant for his own good, so I wanted to try and…I dunno, break him out of his shell?" Kisame struggle to piece his reasoning together, but the girl just nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I can kinda see your reasoning, but what does this have anything to do with me?"

"Well, I thought that he could use a different type of bond, you know? He's never really had close relationships with females before and I thought 'Hey, why not that car chick? She seemed pretty cool.'" At this, she laughed. "So let me get this straight, you want me to be buddy-buddy with your friend because he's never interacted with the female species before?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Wow, who would've thought." She did, honestly, think that he was quite good looking, so she assumed he was a suave, Casanova.

"But I have one question though." Kisame motioned for her to go on, "How in the world did you find me? I don't remember giving you my name…" Sakura wondered, putting a finger onto her chin. Kisame looked sheepish, "Ehehe, I sorta just asked around if anyone's seen a girl with pink-hair, you've got a pretty unique hair colour," _Coming from a guy with blue-hair_ , the girl thought. "It actually wasn't too hard for me to find someone who had seen you. They told me that they saw you in this café frequently, always with a book and always with a gray beanie." Kisame informed her.

The pinkette just blinked.

"I don't know whether to laugh or to be terrified that I can be found by my hair colour…"

* * *

"Then he invited me to the party and told me to meet him there. And so, here we are." She shrugged as she finished her tale.

Itachi's eye twitched. Kisame had the audacity to force people onto him, _because he was too stiff?_ If Kisame didn't want him to be stiff, he should've just signed him up for yoga lessons.

"Your friend really seems to care a lot about you though. To go to great lengths to 'help' you out, you must be really good friends." She smiled up at him, lightly swaying on the swing.

Itachi was suddenly mollified. Even though he didn't ask for it, Kisame did do all this for his sake. Maybe he should at least try this whole... _experiment?..._ , for Kisame's sake.

Steeling his resolve, Itachi tried to engage her in conversation, "You are a student at Konoha University." It came out as a statement rather than a question. Itachi inwardly face-palmed.

Chuckling to herself, "Yeah I am, I just recently moved to Konoha. I'm a first-year Med student." Nodding, Itachi responded, "Third-year Law student." Indicating himself.

After another lull in their conversation, Itachi remembered something vital. "I don't think you have mentioned your name to me." He said, eyes narrowing, suddenly growing suspicious of her. Because who in their right mind would willingly go along with two males they had only met once, without knowing their names, and without giving their own name.

Her eyes widened, as if she genuinely forgot. _Is she serious?_ Itachi thought. "I am so sorry! I didn't even realise." She bowed her head in mortification, muttering something that sounded like the word 'stupid.'

Clearing his throat to get her attention, Itachi decided to take the initiative – something he has never done before – and introduced himself first, "My name is Uchiha Itachi." She snapped her head up to look at him with wide eyes. Then she smiled broadly, then spoke,

"I'm Haruno Sakura."

* * *

 **A/N**

WOW OKAY THAT WAS LONG. Well probably not, but it was long to me. T_T So we finally get to see Sakura fully! yay.

And omg I am so sorry if her character seems so 2D right now, I promise it will get better. Because in this chapter, it was mostly Itachi's POV, and he only saw her smiling, cause that's what she does, smile. But there is no way he can tell what she is thinking mentally so please bear with me for now.  
So, now that Sakura has been formally introduced, I'll be able to do some scenes in her POV and you'll see why she acts that way.

AND IF ANYONE THINKS ITS INCREDIBLY DITZY FOR SOMEONE LIKE SAKURA TO FORGET TO INTRODUCE HERSELF, PLEASE WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. IT WILL ALL BE EXPLAINED.

But omfg, Kisame and Itachi's bromance is so great, I love writing it.

Oh and to answer a **reviewer's question** : Yes, there will be other Naruto characters in this. They'll make their appearances sooner or later lol. If you look closely enough, there are bits and pieces of clues on who is gonna appear.

Anyways, for the next chapter, I was thinking of a chapter that follows Sakura around and shows what she'd been doing during the events of the first 3 chapters. Tell me what you guys think about it. But I'm 80 percent sure that I will be doing a Sakura POV chapter.

But yeah anyways, feel free to ask me anymore questions! or just tell me your thoughts! I really appreciate everyone who; reads, reviews, favourites or follows this fic. Or even better, ALL 4! Thanks to all of you lovely people!

Welp, I think that's all I have to say... Update might be tomorrow or sometime next week (Hopefully)

Thanks again! KN~


	4. Of Old and Stupid Friends

**Disclaimer: Plot mine, Naruto isn't.**

* * *

Humming softly whilst drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, Sakura drove down the relatively empty streets of Konoha. Seeing many familiar sights amongst new ones made Sakura feel somewhat nostalgic. The scent of the ever-present trees that plotted the land did not help prevent her smile from breaking out. Although the air was chilling, the sun still beat down from the sky, spreading warmth all over the country.

' _Ah, it feels great to be back.'_ Sakura mused.

It wasn't until another car stopped beside her, that a voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Excuse me miss," The voiced drawled. Curious, she turned her head towards the sound.

There, she found a young man staring directly at her. Judging by his arm that was currently leaning on the window sill, Sakura observed that he was quite fit. His hair was styled in a way that oddly resembled a shark fin, and his beady eyes did not help one bit to shake off the idea that he was half-shark.

' _That's interesting,'_ she thought to herself, before swatting away thoughts of shark humans. Upon seeing his warm smile directed at her, and sensing no ill-intentions, Sakura smiled back. Although, she was sure that her confusion was clearly evident on her face.

The man spoke **,** "I was just hoping I could ask you a question." At this, Sakura's confusion deepened, but nodded nonetheless.

"Do you think that my friend here is dateable?" He asked, with a small mischievous smirk on his face.

' _What?_ ' was the only thought that filtered into her mind, she was rather amused. She had expected the man would've asked for her thoughts on _him_ , not a friend. After he asked his strange question, the shark-man promptly leaned back, revealing a second man in the car who looked quite bewildered and surprised as she. Still trying to wrap her head around the situation, Sakura only raised her eyebrow and tilted her head in question.

The first man spoke again, reiterating his question for her and using gestures. Sakura could only laugh silently in her head, as she wasn't at all confused with his question, she was more confused on the meaning behind it and the reason for it. Still, it couldn't hurt to humour them.

Sakura took a moment to observe the raven-haired man's features, taking in as much of his features as she could with the distance between them. She decided that there was no harm in answering – Konoha is a rather big city – so she probably wouldn't see them again anyway. Shrugging internally, she said, "Yeah, I say he's dateable," and then quickly blurted out, "He's pretty cute."

As a look of confusion –with a hint of disconcertment –crossed his face, Sakura thought that he looked _very_ cute in that moment. She couldn't help but laugh – because even if he was bewildered – his expression was still controlled, and Sakura didn't know why but she thought that he looked somewhat like a child trying to understand something that he wasn't familiar with. Also, for whatever reason, his expression was oddly familiar to her, almost as if she had seen it before. Brushing off that feeling as merely Deja-vu, Sakura focused back onto the two men as shark-boy started speaking again, with a toothy grin gracing his face.

"Would you, again a very pretty lady, ever go out with a guy like him?" Now, _that_ was the million dollar question, would she go out with someone like him? _'Well, he's not ugly.´_ Sakura mused, before she laughed yet again and looked up – seeing the man that she had mentally deemed as passive, ready to smack the much larger man – and smiled at the scene. Both men looked back at her questioningly and she answered accordingly, "Yeah, I actually would."

The looks on their faces were priceless. The larger male looked like he found the entire situation to be hilarious and was trying to contain his grin and laugh, whilst the onyx-eyed male looked absolutely floored. She made eye contact with him and flashed him one last smile coupled with a wink, which – judging by him coughing into his hand and looking away – only served to embarrass the poor male.

Seeing the stoplight turn green, Sakura figured that it was time to take her leave, "It was nice meeting you guys, kinda…I think." She said, lightly shaking her head while laughing to herself. She finally drove off, thinking that that was a rather strange encounter.

* * *

"Yes yes, I'm fine. Uh huh, I have been eating properly, and yes I have been getting sleep. You don't need to worry so much, okay? You know I hate it when I make you worry…" Sakura said into her phone, which was currently balancing between her shoulder and ear.

"No, I haven't finished unpacking yet, but I'm getting there. Hey! It's only been a week and I'm just one person, give me a break." She explained while opening yet another cardboard box, laughing all the while. "Yeah okay I'll talk to you soon, I know I know I'll be fine, you taught me well. Love you _mum_ , bye!" Sakura hung up before the woman could even reply. It wasn't as if Sakura didn't want to talk to her - on the contrary she misses her a lot - but Sakura knew that if she gave the woman a chance, she would still be on the phone until late, listening to her lectures. Sakura merely shook her head fondly. This was her time to prove that she can be independent, to prove that she's got what it takes to become a doctor, and to complete an age-old promise that she swore to herself.

Sakura shook away her thoughts and went back to unpacking. She had recently moved back to Konoha and had scored herself a nice little apartment inside the city. It was also close to the university that she was attending; which meant she could just walk there if she felt like it. Humming a distracted tune while placing books into her wooden bookcase, Sakura let her thoughts wander. She pondered about her friends who she hadn't seen in a while. After all, it's been a long time since she was in Konoha. A week had passed since she arrived and she hadn't seen any of them yet. Although, her blonde-haired friend _did_ keep badgering her to visit but Sakura had been far too busy these past few days. Perhaps it's time to pay her long-time best-friend a visit. Smiling absentmindedly to herself, Sakura could not contain her excitement. But first, she had to finish unpacking all these damned boxes.

Deciding that she should take a much needed break - although she knew, at the back of her mind, that she didn't _really_ \- Sakura considered going to a café. She only had a few more boxes to go anyway so she didn't see the harm in going. Finally making a decision, she grabbed a beanie from one of the open boxes; and a medical textbook from her bookshelf then left the apartment.

Stepping outside of the building, a gentle breeze embraced her, drawing an unwilling chill. Luckily, she was equipped with a comfortable sweater. Starting her trek towards the nearest café, Sakura smiled to everyone who walked past her. Even though Konoha had changed a lot over the years, one thing that hadn't changed were the people, who were always so warm, friendly and inviting.

It truly was good to be back.

* * *

"Would you like anything else?" Sakura contemplated for a while, but ultimately decided to forgo a chocolate muffin. "No thank you, I'm fine." She dismissed the waitress with a polite smile, which was returned.

With the departure of the waitress, Sakura was finally able to return to her rather heavy medical tome. Sakura lightly skimmed through walls and walls of text until she found the place where she last was. Furrowing her eyebrows together, she concentrated on the words on the page, soaking in every piece of relevant information and discarding inapplicable details. Even though Sakura was beyond focused whilst reading, her posture remained relaxed. The only sign of her intense concentration was the intensity and sharpness of her eyes. There was no reason to half-heartedly take in material just because she was reading for fun, especially when it came to medical-related information.

If _that woman_ ever caught her mind wandering while reading a textbook, she surely would've been reprimanded and lectured. She always said that focus was key. Shuddering slightly, Sakura continued to focus while taking a drink from her steaming cup of coffee.

After reading a few chapters, Sakura's ears picked up on a conversation while she flipped the page. "How about that girl over there? In the corner." She heard the voice say. As far as she could tell, she was situated at the corner, but perhaps they weren't speaking about her. She continued on with her reading.

Before she could begin reading, she heard the same voice again, "So? Do you like this one? Wanna put the moves on her? I could totally teach you some pick-up lines, you know?" At this, her interest was piqued. She was about to continue to listen but her eyes found the clock hanging on the wall.

' _Damn, time flew by quickly.'_ She cursed silently. Sakura stood up and began making her way towards the exit and, consequently, the table of two men who she assumed were talking about her. As she walked towards them, she heard one of the guys' so called pick-up lines, and immediately tried to stifle a laugh.

' _Wow that's cheesy.'_ She grinned to herself. Shaking her grin away from her face and barely containing her smirk, she planned to pass by them without a glance, although not without some parting words: "I found them quite amusing to be honest, although, if you're gonna spy on someone in the future, make sure you lower your voices."

Only when she was outside of the café did she promptly burst into a fit of giggles, earning her questioning looks from those who passed by.

* * *

Sakura stood still in front of the entrance. She wasn't quite sure on what to expect. Not quite sure if she should really be there or not. She hadn't seen this person in _years_. Sure, they still spoke to each other occasionally through texts and social media, but typing on a screen is a lot different to actually conversing in real life. She hadn't even announced that she would visit today, wanting it to be a surprise. But in actuality, she just didn't want her friend to know she was there if she decided not to go through with the visit.

Slapping her palms against her cheeks that were slightly chilled from the autumn breeze, Sakura mentally steeled herself.

' _You can do this!'_ She cheered herself, though having no effect at all.

She inhaled deeply before raising her shaking hand to push open the shop door.

…

Only for it to promptly burst open from the other side, with a rather angry blond on the other end. Sakura stood frozen in shock with her hand still raised, looking noticeably startled. After getting over the initial shock, Sakura smiled the biggest smile she could muster and aimed it towards her friend. She truly missed her friend. However, the same couldn't be said for said-friend, who was glaring mercilessly at Sakura.

Sakura winced and began looking sheepish, with hands held behind her back. "Hi?" She greeted weakly.

"HI!? I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN HOW MANY YEARS AND THE FIRST THING YOU SAY IS HI?!" Sakura winced again before preparing to answer, but the blonde wasn't quite done yet.

"YOU DON'T VISIT ME EVEN THOUGH YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR WEEKS, AND THE TIME YOU _DO_ VISIT ME, YOU DON'T EVEN TELL ME. GEEZ WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH YOU, BILLBOARD BROW!"

Sakura continued to shrink and bite her lip during the blonde's rant, but at the mention of the _affectionate_ childhood nickname, Sakura looked up at her childhood best friend to see the tears forming in her eyes. Which she was trying, but failing, to wipe away furiously. Sakura lost all her inner worries and inhibitions after that and smiled fondly at the blonde.

"Ohhh no, don't you dare look at me like that missy! I'm still mad at you." The blonde had lost her earlier conviction but still tried to look intimidating, which was difficult considering the fact that new tears were forming.

"Oh Ino, I've missed you too!" The sight of her friend's crying face prompted her to give the biggest embrace she had ever given, which was positively received.

"You're so stupid, Sakura. Dad said that you've been waiting outside the store since opening time. Why didn't you just come inside, idiot? If I hadn't seen you stupidly standing there, would you have had the guts to walk in?" Ino sniffled into Sakura's shoulder. Sakura just chuckled softly, tightening her embrace, not wanting to risk talking as her own tears were threatening to spill out.

Once they were somewhat composed, the two girls split apart and smiled widely at each other. Until Ino suddenly flicked Sakura's forehead and tsked. Sakura pouted while rubbing the sore spot on her forehead, while Ino pulled her inside. After greeting the blonde beauty's parents and exchanging niceties, Ino excused herself from work, and the two girls headed for the break room.

Once they were safely within the confines of the moderately large break room – furnished with a soft couch, a low coffee table, and of course a plethora of flowers – Ino began her interrogation. Talking in person was definitely different from texting, in a good way. Sakura could only smile as she answered the barrage of questions as best as she could. They spoke about everything and nothing, acting as if they had never separated for even a week, let alone 12 years.

' _There was nothing to be afraid of.'_ Sakura mused as Ino informed her of things she had missed whilst away.

After what seemed like forever, it was time for Ino to get back to work. After another exchange of hugs, and a promise to visit soon, Sakura left the store.

Just missing a certain raven-haired male by a few seconds.

* * *

"Ino, this is really stupid and crazy and so _unconventional_." Sakura was exasperated, and she hoped that she got her feelings across to Ino through the phone receiver.

"Shut up Sakura, this is gonna be fun. It's a shame that I can't go, but I guess you can have enough fun for the both of us." Sakura just knew that Ino was wriggling her eyebrows with a smirk plastered on her face.

"I don't think I would enjoy partying with strangers." Sakura could only reply in deadpan.

"Don't knock it till you try it." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sakura was approached by a random, but familiar, male earlier that week and he had managed on getting her to accept on going to a party that was happening tonight. How he managed that, she had no idea. Perhaps because his eyes and words seemed sincere. So sincere, in fact, that she found it hard to refuse.

She really hoped that he was being sincere, else she would be in a world of trouble if he wasn't. Still, she would give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Hello? Are you listening, Forehead?" Ino snapped her out of her reverie. "Yeah I hear you."

"So as I was saying, you should go to the party. No harm there. And didn't you say that you've met the guy before...?" Sakura quickly interjected, "I met him once! At a stoplight! That hardly makes a proper greeting."

"Well you're the one who agreed to go. My, are you actually backing out of a promise?" Sakura could hear Ino gasp into the phone. She rolled her eyes again at Ino's jest, but knew that there was some truth to it. Sakura always kept promises, whether she liked them or not.

Sighing, Sakura resigned to her fate and exchanged good-byes with the blonde, and began to get ready.

* * *

Maybe Sakura was a tad too early for the assigned meeting time, but as they all say, punctuality never killed anyone. She sighed and looked around, she was about 10 minutes early and saw no sign of the shark-male. It was around 7 o'clock at night and party guests were filtering in by the dozen, leaving Sakura to try and find a somewhat secluded corner. She wasn't particularly fond of parties, but she didn't exactly loathe them either. However, she only ever enjoyed parties if her friends were around her, not a bunch of strangers.

She sighed yet again, and began to observe her surroundings. The house was fairly big – though the amount of people seemed to allude otherwise – the lighting was all sorts of different colours, and the music was blasting through multiple speakers. It looked like a cool party, but Sakura was still not feeling it.

A few minutes passed by until she saw a familiar looking shark-male scanning the crowd. She raised her arm and waved it side-to-side while she stood on her tip-toes, trying to gain his attention. When she had successfully caught his eye, he made quick strides towards her. Grinning his toothy grin, he greeted her enthusiastically, to which she returned with her own smile.

"You ready to meet my friend?" He asked with great excitement. Sakura however, looked somewhat unsure about the whole situation, but nonetheless smiled and nodded.

Shark-man somehow sensed her concern and reassured her, "Hey, don't look so worried, okay? It's gonna be fine, you'll be fine. This dude is a great guy so you have nothing to worry about." The way he smiled at her reassuringly helped ease her hesitation somewhat, but she still had a little inkling of , Sakura nodded and steeled her resolve.

"So what exactly do I need to do?" She questioned, trying to clarify her rather confusing role in this crazy plot devised by shark-man.

"Nothing too serious. Just talk to him, I guess? Get him to actually speak comfortably with you. And if we're lucky, maybe he'll consider you a friend! In due time of course. But once both of you are friends, then it's all smooth sailing from there." Shark-man explained his not-so-thought out plan with great pride, as if he had just figured out the solution to world hunger.

"Umm, okay then? So just, get to know him then?"

"Yeah well, that's phase one. I'll tell you more details at a later date… once I've thought of them…"

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing! Now let's go, don't want to keep the man waiting!" And with that, he gestured for her to follow him back to his (apparently) socially inept friend.

Sakura followed closely behind Shark-san, who was bulldozing and weaving through the now-raving party. Masses of sweaty limbs were swinging towards Sakura in multiple directions, and she tried her best in avoiding all of them. She had always been skilled in aversion.

As she was in the midst of dodging yet another leg, shark-san suddenly called out to someone but she didn't quite catch what he said. She waited a few steps behind Shark-san as he went to talk to another familiar face, the raven-haired cutie. She snorted at the name her brain had associated with him.

It wasn't long before Shark-san stepped aside and fully revealed them to each other, Sakura smiling in greeting. She noted that his facial expression remained controlled, as if he had already anticipated on seeing her there. _'Well there goes the surprise.'_ She shrugged inwardly.

"Well, I think I'll just leave you two kids alone for the time being," Shark-san tried to say but was quickly interrupted, "Kisame, may I please speak to you in private for a moment." Then suddenly, both males were on the move, but not before the raven-haired one turned back and said, "One moment, miss."

' _Glad to know that he has basic manners.'_ She mused before she started thinking of possible ways to go about _befriending_ the raven-haired male.

They seemed to be finished with their conversation, and once they got back to her, Shark-san whispered in his friend's ear then said a quick farewell to both of them. Sakura merely raised an eyebrow at the little exchange, wondering what could've possibly been said.

As Sakura further scrutinised the man's face, she could see the corner of his mouth flicker down imperceptiblyinto a frown of discomfort. Not knowing whether he was uncomfortable because of her or their surroundings, Sakura offered him a solution to one of those problems, "Want to join me for a walk?"

She was glad that he accepted and didn't outright balk at her invitation – though she finds it hard to imagine him _balking_ at anything. Stepping outside into the cold, night breeze, Sakura's gaze immediately looked towards the starry sky. A flicker of sadness weaved into her eyes, but it was gone as fast as it came, and was replaced by wistful nostalgia.

Having been lost in thought, she had forgotten about her silent companion. "Do you always say yes when strangers ask you to walk with them?" She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Do you always ask strangers to walk with you?" She hadn't really expected him to humour her and answer her question, so she was quite surprised when he did. She laughed before glancing at him and replying, "Touché."

Silence fell upon them once again, with Sakura racking her brain for other conversational topics. They soon reached a park with a small playground in the middle, and Sakura brightened at the sight of it. She turned to her companion and saw that he was already looking at her, she asked a silent question, and hoped he would agree. _'Please say yes, Please say yes, Please say yes!'_

She took his small nod as a go sign, and continued their trek towards the playground. She reached the swing set in no time and began to swing, aware of the fact that he was leaned against the structure. After a few moments of fun, she decided it was time to talk about the elephant in the room, slowing down in her swings.

She recounted the events that took place; how she was found, why she was approached, and her eventual agreement in going. He listened to her story intently and didn't once interrupt her. She wondered what he thought about this whole situation. Was he inclined to it? Did he despise it? Because of his killer poker face, she would never know.

Although, once she was finished with her recount, she thought she saw his eye twitch. _'Must be a trick of the light.'_ She surmised. It was rather dark, with only a street lamp post illuminating their surroundings.

She spoke again, "Your friend really seems to care a lot about you though. To go to great lengths to 'help' you out, you must be really good friends." She smiled, hoping that she said the right thing. He seemed somewhat _resigned_ after she said it, she could only hope that it was a good sign.

Surprisingly, he tried to initiate conversation, "You are a student at Konoha University." Sakura wasn't quite sure if that was supposed to be a statement or a question, but she assumed it was the latter. Chuckling, she answered, "Yeah I am, I just recently moved to Konoha. I'm a first-year Med student." To which he replied, "Third-year Law student."

Sakura acknowledged his answer and silence surrounded them once more. Only to be disrupted by his piercing statement, "I don't think you have mentioned your name to me." Sakura's eyes widened in realisation. _'What the… I actually forgot to ask for their names? I can't believe this. Oh my god, if she ever find out, she would kill me for being too trusting.'_ Sakura continued berating herself, before apologising, "I'm so sorry! I didn't even realise." She bowed her head, hoping to hide her embarrassment as she kept muttering 'stupid' over and over again.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard him clear his throat. Then she heard him speak, "My name is Uchiha Itachi." She snappedher head up to look at him, quite incredulous, but then she just grinned.

"I'm Haruno Sakura."

* * *

"You are actually so stupid, Sakura!" chortled Ino for the nth time, laughing loudly while pacing the length of Sakura's room. Falling backwards onto the bed, she teased again, "Never pegged you as the type to willingly follow people without knowing their names." The pinkette plopped her face onto an unsuspecting pillow on her lap, groaning in frustration.

"Shut up Ino, it was an honest mistake," Sakura tried to defend herself, but even she could see the stupidity of her ignorance. "And you were the one who convinced me to go in the first place!"

"Yeah but I assumed you already knew their names," Ino smirked, and raised her eyebrow. "What if they were serial killers? Or what if they belonged to a nefarious crime organisation? Well I guess crime lords wouldn't give out real names would they?" Sakura wanted to wipe the grin of the blonde's face, but she could only huff in exasperation **.** When Ino had finally relented in her teasing, she inquired about the names of the two males that had put her pink-haired friend in a precarious position. Sakura, in a childish act of defiance, refused to give her the names. She did, however, grant her blonde friend the self-made nicknames of the two males that Sakura bestowed upon them.

Weasel and Shark.

Ino looked vexed,but took what she could get. She began badgering the pinkette, in search for details of the mysterious night she had been involved in. Sakura rolled her eyes, but grinned all the same. "We just talked, that's all." Sakura claimed, but Ino wasn't assuaged. "You came back at 2 in the morning, and you mean to tell me that all you did was _talk._ " Accusation clear in her tone, Sakura didn't need to look at the blonde to know that her eyes were narrowed and her eyebrow raised. Ino had been waiting for her to come home last night, and she had found the blonde asleep on her couch. But of course, she wouldn't be asleep forever. And once the blue-eyed girl awakened, she rounded on Sakura and sprung into a myriad of questions. The pinkette only felt remorse for giving Ino a key to her apartment.

"I'm not sure what you want to hear Ino, we just talked." And she was being utterly truthful. Well, somewhat. They truly hadn't done anything else but sit at the small park and chat, however Sakura wasn't quite sure whether or not she could count silence as a form of communication. They fell into silence most of the time, but Sakura could see that Itachi was at least _trying_ , and she appreciated that. Especially considering that he wasn't even aware of the point of this arrangement. Hell, Sakura still didn't quite get what the plan was but, there was no harm in helping them. And Sakura could never turn away from someone in need. Some may call it an honourable trait, but others – mainly Ino – called it troublesome. Still, the blonde found amusement in it so she couldn't quite complain.

"Mhmm sure you did. So you mean to tell me that a completely healthy male and a – I can't believe I'm saying this – beautiful female just spent the night talking, nothing else." Sakura eagerly nodded, wanting Ino to finally understand.

Ino's sceptical gaze was still trained on Sakura and said, "Are you sure he isn't blind?" to which Sakura replied with smacking the blonde with her pillow.

"Alright alright. Fine whatever," Ino seemed to have been appeased for now, "So when are you gonna see him again?" Sakura shrugged. They hadn't really discussed potential future meetings, but they both assumed that that's what Kisame wanted. "Not sure, I gave him my number so he could call me if he wanted." She replied in nonchalance. Ino just raised her brow, "You gave him your number but he didn't give his?"

Before Ino could continue to berate her for being stupid, Sakura defended, "Well he seemed reluctant so I took the initiative, and I told him to just text me his number." Ino kept narrowed eyes trained on Sakura, arms crossed over her chest. Sakura kept her eyes on Ino too, not wanting to show weakness. A few moments went by and Ino finally let up. She uncrossed her arms with a sigh, "Look Sakura, I know you trust easily but you gotta be more careful," Sakura tried to interrupt but Ino shushed her, "I'm just saying to be more cautious, alright? There's already an impulsive girl in this dynamic." Ino smiled wryly, indicating herself.

Sakura reassured her, "I'll be fine Ino, I promise."

* * *

"So how'd it go?" Itachi's brow twitched imperceptibly as Kisame strode into his living room. The Uchiha didn't quite appreciate that the tall male forgoes the doorbell.

Itachi chose not to bestow the man with an answer, instead optingto take a sip of his tea, continuing with his reading. Kisame plopped onto the couch in the space next to Itachi. "So how'd it go?" he inquired again. However, he was met with more silence. This routine continued for another 10 minutes before Kisame finally groaned. The Uchiha's mouth twitched into a small smirk before smoothing back out again. Kisame left the room to who-knows-where, but Itachi didn't care. He was finally alone, able to finish his book in silence.

But alas, the momentary peace was disrupted, by a blue-haired man's booming voice. "So hey Itachi, how'd it go?" He inquired yet again. The Uchiha let out a small sigh and lifted his gaze to Kisame to berate him, only to find a smirk plastered on his friend's face. But that wasn't the only thing that caught Itachi's eye. It was the set of legal documents concerning the Uchiha Police Force that had been given to him by his father to look over… In his friend's hand… And said friend had a lighter in the other hand.

"What are you do-"But Kisame interrupted, "How did it go?" The bastard had the audacity to look smug. Itachi took a moment to weigh over his options. He could either; not answer his stupid friend, not wanting to give Kisame the satisfaction, but have his hard-work burned to ashes with the remains dirtying his carpet; or tell his stupid friend about the uncomfortable-but-not-so-much night he had spent with a certain jade-eyed lady, and keep the documents unburnt and his carpet ash-free. Not to mention that he absolutely abhorred the thought of asking his father for another copy, let alone explaining to him why he had lost the initial one in the first place.

"It was fine." He spoke in a calm tone, because it was unbecoming of an Uchiha to loudly curse at someone else. But the answer didn't seem enough for Kisame, "Ooh sorry, wrong answer." He tsked while shaking his head, fire flickering from the lighter now. Itachi's eyes narrowed at the Kisame, who met his gaze head-on. "What would you like to know Kisame?" Itachi spoke after a moment, relenting. Kisame smirked and extinguished the flame, and pocketed the lighter. He returned the bulky paper to the Uchiha, who cautiously received it.

"So what happened?" Kisame fell onto the couch again.

"We spoke to each other." Itachi replied evenly.

"That's it?"

"That was all."

"Well, what did you talk about?"

"That's irrelevant."

"Oh come on! Tell me!"

The Uchiha stayed silent, revelling at the frustrated look plastered on the taller male.

"At least tell me that you're planning on seeing her again."

Itachi pondered for a moment. Should he see her again? He hadn't really planned on it, even if she was expecting him to contact her. Perhaps he could just put this whole event behind him, and somehow convince Kisame that he was perfectly fine and to stop introducing random strangers to him. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

"I do not have any future plans on seeing her."

Kisame looked confused, "Why not? I could have sworn you two would've hit it off."

Itachi resisted an eye roll and continued with his reading. Kisame was miffed but decided to let the matter lie. For now.

 _'He'll come around. Eventually.'_ He grinned excitedly.

* * *

 **A/N**

/laughs nervously/ Whaaat? I totally haven't been missing for months, pfft what are you talking about? heh heh heh.

Nah but seriously, I'm so sorry for going M.I.A for a while. Especially after I promised that this chapter was gonna be out earlier...wayyy earlier. SORRY! A lot of things just came my way and distracted me and I got so busy that I hadn't had time to finish the chapter. and urrrg I feel so bad. So that's why I tried to make it as long as possible and hopefully I can maintain writing this length.

But oh look, A wild Ino appeared! I wonder if anyone knew that she would be in this story or not. But yeah, there she is. Don't worry though, there's gonna be plenty of other characters that are gonna make their appearances.

In regards to questions about Sasuke... Idk does Sakura know him? I guess we'll have to find out cause no one knows. Except me. Mwahaha.

Thanks again to everyone who; Read, Reviewed, Followed, or Favourited this fic. It really does mean a lot to me. OH and special thanks to my beta reader MM. She probs won't read this but its the thought that counts. :D

I'm hoping that the next update won't take too long, but if it does then apologies in advance!

Till next time! KN~


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